The present invention claims priority from Japanese Patent Application No. 9 346062 filed Dec. 16, 1997, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a facsimile transfer system for automatically transferring a facsimile data which is received from a pay station telephone network through a private branch exchange, between a voice mail device, a facsimile mail device and an electronic mail device.
2. Description of Related Art
A private branch exchange system to which a key telephone sets, voice mail devices and facsimile (FAX) devices are connected has been used as a private branch exchange connected to a pay station telephone network (PSTN). Further, in an example of a recent private branch exchange system, an integrated services digital network (ISDN) is connected to a private branch exchange by connecting the private branch exchange to an R point on the output side of a terminal adapter (TA) and an electronic mail system constructed with a local area network (LAN) is connected to the private branch exchange.
A voice mail device connected to this private branch exchange is equipped with a voice mail box corresponding to an individual extension telephone number. For example, when there is a call through the private branch exchange to a key telephone having the extension telephone number and the key telephone does not respond to the call even when the number of ringing exceeds a predetermined number, an aural absence message preliminarily stored in a solid state recording element is sent from the private branch exchange to the calling side and a message of the calling side is recorded in the voice mail box. Alternatively, a call is directly received at a voice mail box number corresponding to an individual extension telephone number and a message of the calling side is recorded by the voice mail box.
Thereafter, the private branch exchange sends a signal indicative of the absence message (the message of the calling side being recorded) to the called key telephone and notices the fact to a user thereof by using a lamp display. Thereafter, the user of the key telephone operates the latter to listen the message of the calling side recorded in the voice mail box of the voice mail device.
In the facsimile device, when a telephone number dedicated to the facsimile device is called, a facsimile message data is received and printed out automatically. A reception of the facsimile call is confirmed by the print output (hard copy) of the facsimile message data. In this case, there is a necessity of confirming facsimile messages (hard copies) received irregularly by a user thereof and the confirmation work is troublesome.
In the electronic mail system, a network is constructed by connecting data communication terminals for transmitting/receiving data of personal computers to a LAN connected to a private branch exchange. The data is received at a node of the LAN or a data communication terminal by using an ISDN address including an ISDN number or sub address.
Further, a FAX/electronic mail transfer system for transferring data between a facsimile device and an electronic mail device by means of a gate way device is constructed recently. In the FAX/electronic mail transfer system, a facsimile message can be transmitted from a transmitter side as a facsimile message or an electronic mail, selectively. In this case, a facsimile message data is transmitted to an individual main box of electronic mail by instructing the individual main box of electronic mail by an operation of a push button (PB), that is, a second dialing by means of DTME tone.
As mentioned, in the prior art techniques, the facsimile message can not be transferred to the voice mail device although the facsimile message can be transmitted to a facsimile device or the electronic mail device. That is, it is impossible to automatically transfer a received facsimile message between data communication terminals in the voice mail system, the facsimile mail system and the electronic mail system.
An object of the present invention is to provide a facsimile transfer system capable of automatically transferring a facsimile message transmitted from a pay station telephone network and received by the facsimile transfer system through a private branch exchange between a voice mail device, a facsimile mail device and an electronic mail device.
In order to achieve the above object, according to a first aspect of the present invention, a facsimile transfer system comprises a voice mail device and a facsimile mail device which are connected to a private branch exchange connected to a pay station telephone network and an electronic mail device connected to the facsimile mail device, wherein a facsimile message received from the facsimile terminal connected to the pay station telephone network by the private branch exchange is automatically transferred between the voice mail device, the facsimile mail device and the electronic mail device.
In this construction, a key telephone set is further connected to the private branch exchange, wherein, when the message received by the facsimile mail device through the private branch exchange is not a facsimile data, the private branch exchange performs a control for connecting the received message to the key telephone set according to an instruction of the facsimile mail device.
Further, in the facsimile transfer system according to the present invention, the facsimile terminal is constructed such that an individual mail box number data of the voice mail device, which is input from an input operation unit, and a facsimile data read out by a subject copy reader are transmitted to the voice mail device through the pay station telephone network and the private branch exchange under communication controls of a facsimile communication control device and a control portion.
Further, the private branch exchange is constructed with office line circuits connected thereto by circuits, extension circuits connected to the voice mail device and the facsimile mail device, a switch circuit for switching communication lines between the office line circuits and the extension line circuits and the control portion for controlling a communication line connection between the voice mail device and the facsimile mail device through the extension circuits when a transfer information is taken in by the private ranch exchange after a facsimile data is received by the voice mail device.
Further, the facsimile mail device is constructed with a printing portion, an input operation portion, a facsimile data storage portion, a facsimile communication control portion, a connection portion for operating an interface between the facsimile communication control device and the electronic mail device and a control portion for ending a facsimile data received through the private branch exchange to the printing portion, or instructing the private branch exchange of a transfer of received message data which is not a facsimile data and sending the facsimile data transferred from the voice mail device through the private branch exchange to the electronic mail device through the connection portion.
The voice mail device is constructed with a circuit interface portion, an aural response control portion for controlling an aural guidance response, a communication transfer control portion for transferring a message data received from the facsimile terminal, a memory portion for storing a transfer control information to the facsimile mail device, a hard disk device for storing voice mail data and an aural guidance data memory portion.
The electronic mail device comprises a general purpose compact computer including a personal computer, and the key telephone set comprises an input/output interface portion, a telephone circuit for performing at least amplification and side tone processing for a transmission signal and a receiving signal, a microphone and a loud speaker and a key board. Further, a plurality of the electronic mail devices are connected to a local area network connected to the facsimile mail device and a plurality of the electronic mail devices are connected to the local area network connected to the private branch exchange.
Further, the facsimile transfer system of the present invention performs a transfer control of a facsimile data when it detects an individual mail box number data and a call tone signal within a constant time after a call is received. Further, a facsimile transmission procedures are binary transmission control procedures and a transmission procedures of a facsimile data from the facsimile mail device in the local area network are Internet facsimile transmission procedures. Further, the facsimile transfer system comprises a facsimile transfer control data table and a transfer control information stored therein is a DTME data including numerals and symbols used in the push button system.
In the facsimile transfer system of the present invention, the voice mail device reads the aural guidance data in response to the reception of the facsimile data and controls the response. Further, on the basis of the stored transfer control information to the facsimile mail device and the electronic mail device, the facsimile transfer system performs a transfer control of the received facsimile data, as mentioned. As a result, it becomes possible to automatically transfer the facsimile data received from the pay station telephone network through the private branch exchange between the voice mail device, the facsimile mail device and the electronic mail device, so that the convenience of the facsimile transmission is improved.